Protective kneepads have been available for people to wear on their bodies, such as kneepads, elbow pads, shin pads, thigh pads, forearm pads, etc.
The pads protect the limbs of the body from injury and provide comfort to the wearer.
Some pads have straps that are connected to the edges of the pads and extend about the limb so as to have enough frictional contact to cling to the leg, arm, etc. Typically, the pads require upper and lower straps for connection to the limbs. For example, kneepads usually have upper straps to be wrapped from the upper portions of the kneepads around the legs above the knees and lower straps to be wrapped around the legs below the knees. If the straps are drawn tightly about the limb, they tend to hold the kneepad in place, but the tighter the straps the more constriction and discomfort there is about the limbs. This generates an undesirable constriction in the blood flow and discomfort to the wearer. Consequentially those who wear kneepads tend to attach the straps as loosely as possible in order to reduce the discomfort and as a result the kneepads have a propensity to slip out of position.
Also, when the wearer of kneepads is in the kneeling position, it is highly desirable to have the kneepads properly placed at the knee for maximum effect. However, when the wearer stands and the knee is straightened, the pants of the wearer become somewhat bunched above the kneepad, and there is some tendency of the kneepads to slip downwardly with the pants, to a position lower than the desired position. When the wearer returns to the kneeling position, the constriction of the straps tends to impede the lifting movement of the kneepads that is necessary to move the kneepads back up to the desired position at the knee. If the straps are tightly drawn to avoid downward movement of the kneepads when the wearer moves to the standing position, the pants of the wearer will remain bunched above the knee.
Similar problems are experienced with elbow pads and other pads that have straps that encircle the limbs of the body.
Other prior art pads utilize an attaching method other than straps that wrap around the entire leg in that they include shorter straps that do not extend about the limbs of the wearer but have connectors at the ends of the straps that connect directly to the pants of the wearer. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,988,281, 6,704,938, and 6,347,403 disclose kneepads and straps for kneepads, each with four straps, each strap extending from the sides of the kneepads and being individually connected to the pants leg of the wearer. The straps extend from the edges of the kneepad, with a connector at the distal ends of the straps extending farther away from the kneepad for grasping the pants of the wearer. The connectors are displaced substantially from the kneepad, providing the opportunity of the kneepad to sag downwardly from the connectors.
The upper pair of straps is attached above the knee and the lower pair of straps is attached below the knee, all being attached to the pants without encircling the leg of the wearer. The placement of the fasteners at the distal ends of the straps may form the desired loose connection of the straps to the pants legs but tends to allow the pads to sag downwardly and away from the pants legs so that the kneepads are not accurately held in the position for registering with the knees when the wearer kneels.